Okay, so here's the game plan. I've been tossing around some idea for the sequel of The Mystery Texter, and I still haven't come up with a good direction for it yet, so I am postponing it for just a little bit longer. Love Me for Me is about half way done as of right now, and I'm a little stumped on writing the next chapter, so I decided to start this fanfic that I have been thinking about for a while now. Christmas break is getting close (two weeks away) so I'm sure I'll have time to juggle two fanfics.

I'm going to tell you all now, that ENDGAME IS FINCHEL. There is some slight Puckleberry in this story, but it is mostly friendship between them. I just don't want anyone to get the wrong idea in this story.

I don't own glee, unfortunately.

A six-year-old Rachel Berry swung as high as she could on the playground swing set during recess. Being only six, as high as she could go wasn't very high up, but Rachel still felt like she was flying. She pretended to be a bird, floating through the air, soaring through the trees, and leaving the world behind. She closed her eyes, and felt the wind go through her hair.

"Hey!"

Rachel's fantasy was abruptly interrupted by a voice behind her. She opened her eyes, but made no effort to slow down her swinging. It was Dave Karofsky, the school bully. He was a third grader who even frightened the fourth graders!

"Yes?" Rachel asked sweetly, following her daddy's advice of even being nice to the mean kids.

"That's my swing," Dave said. "Give it up."

"I was here first," Rachel replied, not intending on giving the swing up. "And I don't recall seeing your name written on the swing anywhere. It belongs to the school. Wait your turn." She turned forward again and closed her eyes, thinking of the wonderful life of a bird once more. Suddenly her dream of flying became a reality as she felt a large force on her back and she was flying for real. Her eyes shot open just in time to see the ground nearing her face. Before she could react she landed on the hard ground with a thud. She saw that her hands and elbows had deep scratches on them, as well as her knees. Rachel lifted a dirty hand and wiped away the tears that were starting to form in her eyes.

Dave just laughed from behind her and took a seat on the swing, not even bothering to see if Rachel was okay.

Rachel started to stand up when she saw a hand extended towards her to help her back to her feet. She gladly took the hand and stood back up, suddenly standing face to face with two boys from the grade above her.

"Are you okay?" the one who had helped her up asked, looking at her injuries.

"I'm all right," Rachel replied, swiping some of the dirt from her dress. "Thank you for helping me, that Dave is the worst."

"Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't know that was his swing," the other boy commented. "I thought everyone knew not to sit there."

Rachel looked between the two buys in front of her. "I am Rachel, by the way." She smiled brightly at them as she waited for their response.

"I'm Puck, and this is my best pal, Finn," one of the boys said. Rachel looked at the boy called Finn and thanked him once again for helping her up off the ground. She then looked back at the boy called Puck.

"What kind of name is Puck?" she asked with a wrinkle of her nose.

"His real name is Noah Puckerman," Finn told her, "but he likes to go by Puck."

"My older cousin says it's cooler that way," Puck explained further.

Rachel nodded in understanding. "Well, I prefer Noah because it is such a wonderful name, and it's a shame it has to go to waste."

Puck gave her a funny look before finally speaking, "You're weird. I like it. You can stick with us from now on, right Hudson?"

The taller boy agreed and smiled shyly at Rachel, "Yeah. You can stick with us."

Rachel's smile grew even wider. She never had a friend before, let alone two. She had a feeling that being friends with these boys was going to be a good thing, a really good thing.

"How about we help you get to the nurse's office?" Finn suggested, allowing Rachel to grab on to his shoulder to help her walk to the school building. The three of them walked inside together, and instantly became the best of friends.

As the three of them grew older, their friendship only grew stronger. It was as if the three of them had an unbreakable bond, and they were inseparable. As Rachel grew older, she slowly started to think of Finn as a little more than just a friend, but she was always too shy to act on her feelings. She was scared of the consequences, and what about Puck? Would he feel left out? Rachel also took the age difference into question, sure it was only one year, but at their school everyone always seemed to stay within their own grade level. The other students already thought it was strange enough that Finn and Puck were friends with a girl in the grade below them.

Rachel remembered the turning point in her relationship with Finn very clearly. It was a day she would remember for the rest of her life. It was a Finn's thirteenth birthday party. The party was being held in the basement, and Finn's mother stayed upstairs on the main floor, so all the kids were alone.

Puck chugged the rest of his cream soda and placed the empty bottle in the middle of the floor. "Okay," he said loudly so everyone could here, "whose up for a little spin the bottle?"

Everyone became excited by the suggestion and sat in a circle around the bottle. Rachel walked nervously up to the group and sat down in between Mercedes, a girl she knew from the school's choir, and Santana, a girl she had seen wandering around the school hallways with Puck from time to time. Rachel was very nervous because she had never had her first kiss before, and spin the bottle wasn't exactly a game for a kiss novice.

"Give me the bottle, Puckerman!" Santana exclaimed, lunging out to the middle of the circle and spinning the bottle forcefully. Everyone watched in anticipation, waiting to see whom Santana would have to kiss. The bottle spun around and around, and eventually came to a stop in front of a blonde boy named Sam Evans. Rachel had seen Sam a few times at school before, but she wasn't very familiar with the boy. By the look that Santana was giving Sam, Rachel figured that Santana wasn't the biggest fan of the boy.

"Trouty Mouth?" Santana said in disgust, wrinkling her face. She eyed him for a second before leaning in towards him. "Don't you dare swallow me," she warned, inching closer to him. Santana kissed him, and pushed him back to deepen the kiss causing everyone else to whistle and cheer them on. Santana ended the kiss, making a loud popping sound and returned back to her seat beside me. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it's done."

Rachel watched the girl enviously, wishing she could have that kind of confidence in her. Her thoughts soon vanished, however, when she saw Puck crawl into the middle of the circle and spin the bottle. Rachel hoped that the bottle wouldn't land on her. She loved Puck, but as a friend. He lacked maturity, had a dirty mind, and Rachel did not want him to be her first kiss. Her eyes wandered over to Finn, and she couldn't help but think that he would be a great first kiss. He was so kind, and sweet. He was nice to everyone, and had such a big heart. Rachel stopped her staring when she realized that the bottle stopped spinning, and was pointed towards Mercedes. Rachel let out a breath, being relieved that the bottle had stopped just short of her.

Mercedes groaned and inched towards the center of the circle, "Okay, white boy, let's make this quick."

"What? You afraid of Puckzilla?" Puck asked her, moving towards her as well.

"Not even close," Mercedes replied, pressing her lips onto his. She broke the kiss after a second, making everyone else groan. "Sorry, guys, that's all you're getting this round." She maneuvered herself back to her spot and sat down.

"Who's next?" Sam asked the group, looking at everyone.

"I think the birthday boy should go," Mercedes volunteered, motioning for Finn to enter the inside of the circle.

"Yeah, come on, Hudson, get in here!" Santana exclaimed, waving Finn over.

Finn chuckled, and leaned towards the bottle, "Fine, I'll go." He gave it a spin, and sat back as he waited for the bottle to choose his fate.

Rachel leaned forward as she watched the bottle spin around, growing impatient with every spin. She shifted around as the bottle started to slow down. It became slower and slower with every turn, gradually making one final sweep around the circle. Eventually the bottle moved at an unbearable speed and finally came to a stop in front of Rachel.

Rachel's eyes slowly moved up to meet Finn's and she bit her lip nervously as he stared at her. She felt Santana nudge her forward, and Rachel slowly moved towards Finn. She was having a hard time believing that it was reality, that she was actually about to kiss Finn Hudson, her best friend of six years.

Once Rachel was only a few inches away from Finn, she froze, waiting for him initiate the rest. She watched as Finn inched towards her and she let her eyes fall closed as she waited for his lips to touch her own. However, the kiss never came, instead she heard the sound of the basement door opening as Rachel opened her eyes. She soon realized that Finn's mom was coming down to the basement and she sat beside Finn on the floor. She watched at Puck grabbed the bottle and set it on the table beside him.

"Who wants some birthday cake?" Mrs. Hudson asked cheerfully as she descended the stairs. She was carrying a large chocolate cake and gently set it down on the table. Everyone quickly got up to admire the cake except for Finn and Rachel. Rachel glanced over at Finn to see that he was already staring at her with an unreadable expression. Just as Rachel was about to ask him why he was staring at her, his mother spoke up again. "Finn, honey, come and help me cut the cake."

Finn stood up and extended a hand to help Rachel up off the floor. When Rachel was stood up and ready to go to the cake, she realized that Finn had no intention of dropping her hand. He continued to hold her hand as they walked over to the table, and Rachel had no objections to the action.

For the first time Rachel thought that maybe, just maybe, Finn felt the same way about her.

As Finn's thirteenth birthday party was coming to a close, Rachel's fathers were the first to come by the house to pick her up. When Finn's mother announced that Rachel's fathers were waiting in the driveway, Finn offered to walk Rachel to the door. The two of them walked up the stairs and to the front door of Finn's house.

"Thank you for coming tonight," Finn said to her.

"Thank you for inviting me, I had a lovely time," Rachel replied, smiling sweetly at him. The two of them stood silently for a moment, neither knowing exactly what to say.

"Rachel, about earlier," Finn began. "I just want you to know that I did really want to-"

Rachel, suddenly feeling extremely bold, cut Finn off by quickly pressing her lips to his. She felt him tense at first, but soon he kissed her back, and Rachel smiled against his lips. She pulled back, still smiling, "I'll see you later, Finn."

Rachel slipped out the door and headed out to the car, waving goodbye to Finn as she climbed into the back seat.

"Hello, darling," her dad greeted her, starting the car again and backing out of the driveway. "Did you have a nice time at the party?"

Rachel smiled, thinking of the kiss rather than the actual party, "It was amazing, Dad."

"That's great," her dad replied. "Your father and I actually have some more great news for you when we get home!"

Rachel snapped out of her fantasy, "Great news? Can't you tell me now?"

Her daddy chuckled, "I'm sure you can wait until we get home, Rachel. It's only a few minutes away after all."

"But a few minutes will take forever!" Rachel exclaimed. "Do I really have to wait?"

"Yes," her dad told her, "But it will be worth the wait. You'll love the surprise, I promise."

As soon as the Berry's arrived home, Rachel practically dragged her fathers inside the house. Once they were in the family room she had them sit down on the couch to deliver the news.

"I can hardly stand it!" Rachel said dramatically. "Please tell me! You know how I hate surprises!"

"Rachel," her daddy said calmly, "Settle down and we will tell you."

Rachel did as she was instructed and took a seat across from them, waiting to hear the incredible news.

"Rachel," her dad began. "Do you remember how last month I was very upset because Bruce Zeeno received the promotion I wanted?"

Rachel nodded, "Yes, I remember. What about it?"

"Well, it turns out that Bruce wasn't suited for the job. He ended up getting fired last week," her dad explained further.

"Okay," Rachel responded, becoming bored with her father's story. How was this incredible news? Shouldn't they feel bad for a guy that just lost his job?

"Because they don't have anyone for the job anymore, I got a call today, and they are offering me the promotion instead!" her dad exclaimed.

"Really!? Dad, that's amazing!" Rachel cheered, jumping up to give her dad a congratulatory hug.

"Yes, I start next Monday!" her dad continued on. "I know it's soon, but if we hurry up and start packing I'm sure we can be there by next week. You're father and I already contacted your school, and we've started looking at hotel to stay in while we search for a new house down there."

"Wait," Rachel said, stopping her dad from speaking. "What do you mean packing?"

"Rachel," her daddy said, "The job is in California, remember?"

"California?" Rachel asked them, "but we can't leave Ohio! What about school? What about my friends? What about… Finn?" It dawned on her then that she wouldn't be able to see Finn anymore. "Dads, we can't leave!" Rachel felt tears coming out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Rachel, but our decision is final," her dad said, seeming to be upset that Rachel was unhappy.

"I hate this!" Rachel cried, running past them and up to her bedroom.

"Rachel!" her dad called after her, but Rachel was already up the stairs.

Later on that night, Rachel couldn't fall asleep. She tossed and turned, but sleep never came to her. All she could think about was Finn forgetting about her. She imagined moving to California while Finn stayed in Ohio, meeting some other girl and falling for her. Rachel wanted to scream. Just as things were finally working out between her and Finn her dads had to go and screw everything up.

Rachel sat up in bed. She needed to see Finn. She didn't care that it was around 1 A.M., she had to see him. Rachel got out of bed and quickly got dressed. She snuck down the stairs of the house and made a quick exit, and ran off into the night. She ran down the streets of Lima, Ohio, thanking the Lord that she only lived a few blocks from Finn's house.

Rachel sighed in relief as Finn's house came into view, and she quickened her pace to get there sooner. She circled around to the back of the house to where Finn's bedroom was located. There was a large tree placed beside his second story bedroom, and she climbed up until she was right beside Finn's window. She knocked on the glass until she saw a light turn on through the curtains. The curtains slowed cracked open and Finn's face came into view. He looked relieved when he saw that it was only Rachel.

Finn opened the window quickly, "Rachel," he whispered, "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you, Finn," Rachel replied. "Can I come inside?"

"Yeah, of course," Finn replied, helping her climb in through the window. Once Rachel was inside his bedroom he spoke again, "Why are you here at 1 in the morning?"

"I'm moving, Finn," Rachel blurted out. "I'm moving to California next week. My dad got a promotion."

"Y-y-you're moving to California?" Finn stammered, not wanting to believe what he just heard.

Rachel nodded, "Yes, and I don't know what to do. I mean, I can't leave Ohio behind. My school is here, my friends are here, and… you're here."

Finn took a deep breath and sat down on his bed, patting the spot next to him for her to sit down. Rachel sat down beside him and watched as Finn took her had in his, interlacing their fingers together. Rachel rested her head on his shoulders and wiped a stray tear from her eyes.

"I don't know what's going to happen with us, but I do know that I really like you Rachel. I don't want to lose you like this," Finn said.

Rachel looked up into his eyes, "I'm going to miss you, Finn."

"I know, I'm going to miss you too," Finn replied, running a finger along her knuckles.

"You're not allowed to forget about me," Rachel warned him.

"Never," Finn promised her. "I don't know when, but we will be together someday, Rachel."

Rachel rested her head on his shoulder again and let his words sink in. They would be together. Someday.

Be sure to leave a review! Tell me what you guys think of the story so far. Continue or not at all?